The Effect of Patient Knowledge and Involvement on Antibiotic Abuse and Health Care Services-Evidence from an Audit Study in China

This study estimates the effects of a patient's knowledge of antibiotics on preventing antibiotic abuse. We carried out an audit study in which simulated patients were paired and sent to the same physician for a checkup with the same chief complaint. Of the pair, the simulated patient from the treated group is told to say, " I learned from the internet that simple flu/cold patients should not take antibiotics. Is that right? " We find that a patient's knowledge of antibiotics can reduce the probability of a prescription of antibiotics and drug costs. However, a patient's knowledge of antibiotics reduces the probability of a physician to respond with polite words after being thanked and causes the patients to be less willing to recommend the physician to their parents.